Saskatchewan Sage

The coroner’s inquest into the death of Lee Bonneau, 6, heard from 32 witnesses over two weeks in April in Regina. On Aug. 21, 2013, Lee was lured away by a 10-year-old boy and struck by a blunt object. He died in hospital the next day. Lee was visiting the Kahkewistahaw First Nation and waiting for his foster mother who was playing bingo at the recreation hall. Social Services had apprehended…

A combined fundraiser for charitable organizations and a physical fitness awareness campaign to be undertaken by Saskatoon Mayor Don Atchison on June 21 will highlight the Meewasin Trail / Trans Canada Trail that is being built. Atchison, who has been training for months, will cover the 54.72 km journey between Whitecap Dakota First Nation and Wanuskewin Heritage Park on foot. Atchison will…

Various service organizations, including Prince Albert Parkland Health Region, Prince Albert Police Service, Gabriel Dumont Institute, Prince Albert Métis Women’s Association, met at the Prince Albert Indian Métis Friendship Centre in early March to identify barriers preventing urban Aboriginal people from fully participating in the local economy. The Aboriginal population in Prince Albert has…

Saskatchewan Polytechnic students will soon help build affordable housing in Prince Albert through a partnership with Habitat for Humanity. The two organizations signed a memorandum of agreement in February that will see carpentry students work on one house a year for Habitat for Humanity. Under the five-year plan, the students will frame houses and install windows, exterior doors, siding,…

A new partnership formed between Whitecap Development Corp. and PTW Energy Services Ltd. of Nisku, AB, will be managed by Tarpon Energy Services Ltd. The Whitecap Development Corp. is the business arm of Whitecap Dakota First Nation. This partnership will pursue electrical, instrumentation, construction and fabrication opportunities in the oil and gas and mining sectors within Saskatchewan.…

The contract has been announced for the turn-key design, supply and install of two solar power generation systems in Saskatchewan’s far north at Father Megret Elementary School in Hatchet Lake Denesuline First Nation and Father Gamache Memorial School in Fond du Lac Denesuline First Nation. These two projects are designed to offset power consumption for each of the schools. Funding was secured…

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Education has evenly distributed $2.4 million to support 16 invitational shared services initiative partnerships in 2014-15. ISSI partnerships provide students at on-reserve schools with the same supports available in provincial schools, such as speech language pathologists, math consultants and graduation coaches. The ministry asked Aboriginal education…

Three Saskatoon Tribal Councils will receive $537,990 in funding over two years for justice-related programs. Through its urban programs, the STC receives referrals for extrajudicial measures and sanctions for youth, assists victims of crime, and helps at-risk youth, their families, and the community to understand their rights, the justice system and family rebuilding processes. The funding…

Dr. Shauneen Pete, David Wessel and Wilma Bell-Wessel were recognized for their dedication and leadership in global and Indigenous education at the Saskatchewan Council for International Cooperation Global Citizen Awards in February.

“At first I was surprised to have been nominated for the award and as I found out more about it, and about the organization, I was very honoured,” said…

Aboriginal authors have received multiple nominations in this year’s Saskatchewan Book Awards. Dawn Dumont (Rose’s Run), Ernie Louttit (Indian Ernie: Perspectives on Policing and Leadership) and Robert Alexander Innes (Elder Brother and the Law of the People: Contemporary Kinship and Cowesses First Nation) are vying for the Aboriginal Peoples’ Writing Award.

Lac La Ronge First Nation has distributed $75,000 to members whose trap lines were affected by the construction of SaskPower’s 300-kilometre transmission line running from Island Falls to Key Lake. The compensation follows two years of negotiations. The money was paid from SaskPower’s newly established Trapper’s Compensation program. The band was notified of the project in 2012 and held a…

Members of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association voted in favour of a resolution to hold an inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women. The motion was put forward by North Battleford city council. “A lot of our police chiefs have said they already know what the problem is, and it’s time to move forward with some action and possibly a task force,” said SUMA President Debra…

Kendall Netmaker was presented with the National Youth Aboriginal Entrepreneur award in Toronto by Erin Meehan, president of ESS North America and board member and co-chair of Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. The award recognizes an up-and-coming Aboriginal entrepreneur under the age of 35. Netmaker,…